The transfer of non-ambulatory patients between locations in hospitals often presents a formidable task, especially when the patient is large or heavy and there are only limited personnel available. It is usually necessary for several persons to lift and transfer the patient to and from the gurney. Difficulties in transferring patients to and from gurneys often result in injuries to the nurses or attendants who attempt to lift or maneuver the too heavy patients.
These problems are not new, and various devices have been developed and patented in an effort to simplify transferring patient to and from the gurneys. Examples of these various earlier devices include those disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,979 to Koll et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,672 to Koll et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,037 to Dunkin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,761 to Lederman; U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,417 to McGovern; U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,170 to Knouse; U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,841 to Larsen; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,655 to Ooka et al.
The first Koll patent, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,493,979) teaches a transfer device which includes a pair of superposed endless belts. The lower belt rotates in a predetermined direction, and upper belt rotates in an opposite direction. The transfer device is moved toward the patient and the leading edge of the upper belt is positioned slightly forward of the lower belt. When the device contacts the patient, the leading edge of the upper belt which is rotating in an upwardly-oriented direction lifts the patient up onto the upper belt.
The second Koll Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,672) is a similar device which includes a pair of superposed aprons formed as endless belts or portions thereof and which function to receive, carry or deposit objects such as patients in accordance with the desired transferring and carrying requirements.
The device disclosed in the Dunkin patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,037) is another belt drive type of transfer device wherein the patient is transferred by means of rotating belts.
The Lederman patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,761) is another gurney for transferring patients which utilizes an endless belt drive system of rollers for transferring the patient onto the gurney. A particular wheel arrangement is provided so that the trolley or support frame moves toward the patient at the same speed the transfer belt is moving so that the patient is gently moved onto the trolley bed.
A different type of transfer system is provided in the gurney disclosed in the McGovern patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,417). In that patent, the means for transferring the patient from the stationary position to the movable gurney is accomplished by using a flexible and foldable transfer sheet attached to the gurney.
The Larsen patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,841) provides a gurney which has a laterally shiftable patient conveyor mounted on a moveable frame. A laterally extendable plate coupled with the gurney frame is provided below the conveyor. The plate extends laterally to rest on the bed surface and the conveyor shifts laterally onto the slate for supportive engagement therewith. The patient is transferred onto the freely moving belting material on the conveyor to remove him from the bed.
In the Knouse patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,170) another gurney construction utilizing an unrollable web is disclosed. There a slotted tube attached to the web grabs the sheet underneath the patient and by rewinding the web pulls the sheet and patient onto the gurney.
The Ooka et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,655) presents yet another truck-mounted patient-moving device which utilizes lateral belt motion to transfer the patient from the stationary support onto the mobile gurney. In this instance, an insertion plate is provided for inserting underneath the patient while the patient is still on the stationary support, e.g. a bed.
As these prior patents clearly disclose, various attempts have been provided for movement of the non-ambulatory patient from a stationary support onto a moveable structure or gurney. Many of the devices provide a means for adjusting the height of the gurney surface and some provide for lateral movement of the patient by sliding a retractable member underneath the patient. None of the inventions, however, have gained any significant popularity. Many do not provide a comfortable litter mattress or provide a simplified approach for transfer, and many of these devices comprise extensive working mechanisms in order to create the lateral surface movement which transfers the patient. Also available are separate transfer devices which are separate and apart from the transfer gurney. These hoist units must be moved into place beside the bed; and several attendants are necessary to lift the patient onto the device. To use such a device simply takes too long, and therefore, it goes unused. It would be very beneficial if a self-contained device were available with fewer working parts, which is still capable of allowing transfer of the non-ambulatory patient by a minimum number of people safely and efficiently.
A further consideration which is not sufficiently addressed by these patents is the need to stabilize the gurney during the transfer of the patient since in almost all instances the surface onto which the patient is transferred is cantilevered or extended away from the mobile support to which it is affixed.